Atmospheric Black Metal – Page 53

Echoes of the Moon – Elusion (Review)

This is the third album from this one-man US atmospheric post-black metal band.

Last year’s Entropy was a jaw-dropping release that was chock-full of atmospheric blackened goodness. It was a highly accomplished album and Elusion continues the theme.

Like Entropy, this is very atmospheric and richly textured music. It has elements of psychedelic, progressive and depressive Black Metal, as well as aspects of doom and post-metal. This all manifests in well-realised songs that follow Continue reading “Echoes of the Moon – Elusion (Review)”

Wayfarer – Old Souls (Review)

This is the second album from this US atmospheric post-black metal band.

Children of the Iron Age introduced us to Wayfarer’s quality, interesting black metal and was a pretty damn stunning début album in many ways.

Old Souls is not as long as their first album, (18 minutes shorter), but we still get some epic, sprawling tracks.

Wayfarer have a Continue reading “Wayfarer – Old Souls (Review)”

Seedna – Forlorn (Review)

Seedna are an atmospheric black metal band from Sweden. This is their third album.

I like music like this; some of my favourite albums are those where it sounds as if the band are taking the listener on a journey, and Forlorn is very much a release like this.

Seedna play atmospheric black metal that’s big on emotional content and Continue reading “Seedna – Forlorn (Review)”

Astral Path – An Oath to the Void (Review)

Astral Path are an atmospheric Black Metal band from Canada. This is their début album.

This is the kind of modern, expansive Black Metal that so many bands seem to do so well these days. If you’re a fan of bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, Chaos Moon, Midnight Odyssey, Krallice, Mare Cognitum, Deafheaven and their ilk, then you should also like this.

Astral Path’s music combines this type of stargazing, cosmic Black Metal with ambient soundscapes to create atmospheric Black Metal that seems to roll out of the speakers in a pool of spectral fog. Continue reading “Astral Path – An Oath to the Void (Review)”

Sacrilegium – Anima Lucifera

Sacrilegium are a Polish Black Metal band and this is their second album.

This is sophisticated Black Metal that shrouds itself in occult auras and mystical vibes.

Sacrilegium have produced an album that has a very modern feel, but nonetheless knows where it came from and pays its dues accordingly. With elements of the atmospheric and progressive styles entwined in its dark embrace, Anima Lucifera blasts and pummels its way through its playing time with style and panache. Continue reading “Sacrilegium – Anima Lucifera”

Echoes of the Moon – Entropy (Review)

This is the second album from this one-man US atmospheric Post-Black Metal band.

This has a rich, warm sound, making it clear very early on that Entropy is all about the emotive content and taking the listener on a journey.

High-pitched near-static screams are employed to provide a focal point for the colourful music. I favour this brand of ultra-shrieked screams for this kind of extremely atmospheric Black Metal, so was not disappointed to hear them when they first appeared. Deep growls also appear here and there; these are unexpected but work well alongside the mellifluous music.

These songs have a good grasp of mood and feeling, effortlessly played out across long tracks and glorious soundscapes. This can be essentially seen as one 72 minute piece of music broken up into smaller slices, but however you look at it it’s an extremely effective work.

Featuring elements of psychedelic, progressive and depressive Black Metal, this is very atmospheric and richly textured. Resplendent melodies, extended guitar solos and understated synths all enhance the flavour of the emotive riffs and Entropy is an album to be savoured and enjoyed in its entirety.

I’m very impressed by this, and it’s criminal that this will effectively get no real exposure other than a few lucky people that stumble upon it; it really is that good.

Chaos Moon – Amissum (Review)

This is the latest EP from Chaos Moon, who are a US Black Metal band.

Having previously enjoyed their 2014 album Resurrection Extract, this is a re-released version of their 2015 EP of the same name, with two extra tracks added on for a total running time of 44 minutes spread out over 6 songs.

Chaos Moon’s music is atmospheric and raw, with elements of Shoegaze and Dark Ambient. Theirs is Black Metal with character and a grimy, occult lustre that marks them out as something a bit special.

Obscure melodies and sinister vibes are never too far from the blackened action, and the relatively subtle keyboards are artfully hidden just the right amount behind hateful distortion, which allows them to come to the fore when the guitars are absent.

My favourite track is probably the title, (and opening), song Amissum. It’s one of the bonus tracks and is a seething mass of blackened bile and repressed atmosphere. It’s an impressive piece of music and as the newest song here it bodes well for their upcoming album.

The rest of the music here is no disappointment, mind, with the remaining songs showcasing the band’s mix of aggression, mood and blackened sensibilities. Each track has something a little different to offer the listener and taken as a whole it’s a very well-rounded package.

Overall the band’s songwriting is suitably strong, and Chaos Moon are definitely improving over time. This latest release keeps up their high quality levels and exceeds them in some ways, producing an album-length EP that is extremely enjoyable indeed.

Highly recommended.

Ande – Licht (Review)

Ande is a Black Metal solo project from Belgium. This is his début release.

With each song separated by a short atmospheric interlude, we get three actual songs that evoke the original Black Metal template with a atmospheric and emotive sheen.

The music has good riffs, good atmosphere and tasty screams. It’s a short but enjoyable release that lets the listener wallow in the blackened depths of an atavistic style.

Old-school and obscure, this will likely be overlooked by most fans of the style, which is a real shame as Licht is an extremely satisfying listen. This strikes all of the right notes and moods without feeling stale or done-to-death.

The songs have a relatively good degree of variety between them and the interludes all work well to provide an unusual atmosphere between the blackened abysses that the songs create. I prefer the slower, more atmospheric sections over the faster ones, but the faster ones are still very well done.

The recording is well pitched, with just the right mixture of clarity and rawness that a release like this deserves.

I really enjoyed this.

Morth – Towards the Endless Path (Review)

Morth is a one-man Black Metal band from Bulgaria. This is his début album.

This album has plenty of occult melodies for the listener to enjoy. Sometimes these melodies can seem quite jaunty or folksy, which is a nice touch among the overall darkened vibes that Morth creates.

The long songs have an epic feel and there’s plenty of atmosphere to soak up here. The music is expansive and seems to revel in a certain primitive sophistication that some of the early Black Metal bands found themselves experimenting with. It’s the kind of music that makes me feel nostalgic and never fails to raise a grim smile.

Synths and keyboards are never too far from the action, wrapping the twisting melodies in their dark embrace.

Vocally we get trademark Black Metal croaking screams that fit the music perfectly. These vocals are absolutely of the classic style and go hand in hand with the classic atmospheric music.

This is well-constructed atmospheric Black Metal with a nice line in melodies and uplifting leads and synths.

Very enjoyable.

Frozen Ocean – The Prowess of Dormition (Review)

Frozen Ocean is a one-man Russian Melodic/Atmospheric Black Metal band and this is his latest EP.

Frozen Ocean return with more wonderfully melodic Black Metal that creates plenty of atmosphere. I have previously reviewed The Dyson Swarm, so this new release was most welcome.

This is mellifluous, melodic music that’s enhanced by keyboards to greater heights of atmosphere and mood. The feeling, for me, is very much one of following in the great Windir’s footsteps,

Vocals are deeper screams than are normally associated with the style, giving the polished, shiny music a rougher edge of aggression that suits it.

Grand, epic and richly melodic, (have I mentioned that?), this is a very enjoyable EP that it’s easy to like.

Check it out.